Cycle training
Tender bids due in on Monday. LB Brent is about to hire Cycle Training UK to deliver its programme having also lost the crucial summer months to the tendering process. Southwark, by contrast, has terminated its contract with CTUK due, reportedly, to an insistence on the wearing of high visibility garments by all trainees, a practice opposed by CTUK because it creates unrealistic conditions.

Cycle London Promotion Partnership funding
Trevor didn’t submit a pitstop bid. Marian offered to help with bids in future.

Bike Week feedback
Oliver has talked to Hackney Streetscene’s Steve Walker regarding some members’ unhappiness with the running of the breakfast. We agreed to liaise more closely in the future.

LCC’s preparation for charity status
Marian asked about the implications of this. Charlie says these are still to emerge.

Hackney Empire’s Spice Festival
This event looked promising, but our stall was tucked away at back of the town hall car park. The Hackney Streetscene employees were denied access to their own materials by their own premises security. The car park gates were locked and also blocked by an anti-Congestion Charge campaign vehicle, making it very difficult for people to get into the area with a bike at all. Frustratingly, this was not sorted out by town hall and festival staff. By mid-afternoon we had had enough and went to the nearby Grassy Artz event in London Fields and had a good end to the day. None of the requested signage to the bike park was provided.

STA Bikes’ ‘Bikes in the Park’
Will be attending both Shoreditch Festival days at Shoreditch Park on Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next week at Mabley Green and Hackney Downs. Tim was hoping to have Christiania trike from Velorution but they can’t provide staff. Sarah will bring ‘tagalong’ bike.

Stall stock and London cycle guides
Discussion of our stall stocks of cycle maps elicited a query from Nicola about where to get bulk maps for her workplace. Richard gave her the contact number for bulk orders, which is not for general publication. The number for the public to get small numbers of maps is London Transport information on 020 7222 1234. You can also order them online.

Stokefest
This is confirmed for 24th September. Richard to talk to Open Source about doing a good bikepark. It has to be by the gate or just inside the gate if it’s going to be used. The green at the mouth of Clissold Crescent could be used as an alternative. We could even have two stalls. Simon says that Hackney Green Champions want to get involved with bikes.

Bike game
The ‘bike game’ attracted a lot of people at Spice. Players ride two static bikes which are linked to a mechanism which ‘races’ two bikes around a course featuring the landmarks of London. It would be a good idea to make one for use in Hackney, so it doesn’t have to be hired in expensively every time it’s needed.

LCN+ links 66 and 68
The CRISP meetings for LCN+ links 66 & 68 happened this morning, and Oliver and Trevor attended. Hackney town centre was the
biggest issue covered. Disappointment that a major review of the town centre area is unlikely to happen within the lifetime of the LCN+ project. We did, however, achieve some increases to the proposed funding.

Springfield Park / Tyssen school travel scheme The crossing of Clapton Common is planned to be a toucan. Sarah: why not signalise Oldhill St junction instead, with pedestrian crossing? Turning right into Oldhill St would be easier. Tim to suggest it. Within the park they’re looking at ways of doing step-free access. Brenda said that 1:12 is maximum ramp gradient for wheelchair access. Tim says they’re going to put in wheeling ramps anyway. The initial plan was for demarcation on paths but they’ve decided to widen paths to 3 metres shared use instead, which we agree with. The brief is relatively restricted. Tim is emphasising that the crossing of Clapton Common is the most important aspect. By the by, Tyssen is to be congratulated for providing 50% of the funds for cycle training within the school from its own budget.

Hackney Free / Paragon Road
Consultation about widening footway outside school entrance and extending the existing one-way. Richard has done an initial response opposing one-way working etc. Instead they should remove some under-used car parking, which is much used by council staff, apparently. There are many positive aspects of the scheme from a pedestrian point of view. It just needs to be made cycle friendly.

LCN+ Link 38 CRISP
Charlie asks whether we are willing to take part? Yes, and we have been invited to a preliminary meeting to discuss the arrangements for stakeholder representation.

Churchwell Path
Nicola said that this has an awful bumpy green surface, and that we should oppose the use of that hand-rolled surface. Also Goldsmiths Row track surface is awful. Speed bumps mar routes which are otherwise nice. Powerscroft Road’s new humps are very uncomfortable. Tim has spoken to Jean Cantrell about this but will have a further nag.

Road humps
Tim is assembling a small ‘collection’ of humps which are good.

Unnecessary ‘cyclist dismount’ signs have been erected by the East London Line Project (ELLP) telling eastbound cyclists to dismount for a 100-metre length of Old Street which has been narrowed as it passes under the railway bridge near Shoreditch Town Hall. The signs are being universally ignored or probably not even noticed by
cyclists, who are negotiating the narrowing without a problem. Trevor is in contact with the ELLP to ask the signs to be removed or replaced with more helpful signage such as a 20mph speed limit. A precedent for this is the major works at Bank a couple of years ago, where the same sign was eventually changed to ‘motorists watch out for cycles’. If there’s no satisfactory response, we will do a letterwriting and media campaign.

Central London Cycle Promotion projects are aimed at specific groups. Deadline end of July. We could do ‘pitstops’ on or near estates. Trevor to draft an application. Sally reported that she is helping lots of little projects to apply. Charlie drew attention to LCC’s Special Projects Fund, which offers smaller grants up to £500.